UPDATE: An executive close to the CC Sabathia talks told me the perception is that the Brewers are emerging as the frontrunner.

It’s been confirmed to me that the Giants had discussions with CC Sabathia’s camp last night, and they expect to have face-to-face meetings with the left-hander in San Francisco after the winter meetings.

It sure must’ve have been a productive discussion, because word is that Sabathia has declined the Yankees’ six-year, $140 million offer. (I must stress that’s unconfirmed, but talk is spreading fast. If true, look for the Yanks to get hyper-aggressive on A.J. Burnett.)

A clarification for the commenters: Please read the context. It’s unconfirmed chatter, not gospel, and I was fully transparent about that.

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I’ve been told by a reliable source that the Giants don’t necessarily need to clear payroll to sign Sabathia, though they’ll have to get creative with the money. It’s possible the Giants could seek to defer a sizable chunk of the contract beyond 2017, when they finish paying off the debt service on AT&T Park.

All of this appears to fit what GM Brian Sabean said last week: The only way the Giants have a shot at Sabathia or Mark Teixeira is if “for some reason that animal stayed out there and it would be a much longer process.” This much is clear: Sabathia will not be holding anyone’s jersey aloft in the press room here at the Bellagio.

Giants managing partner Bill Neukom left Las Vegas this morning. Neukom has resisted all efforts to pin down the Giants’ payroll outlook for next season, though it’s believed they have more to spend than they’re letting on. Despite the economic issues plaguing the country, the Giants signed a massive 25-year TV contract with Comcast last year and their largest revenue streams will not be affected in the short term.

Andrew Baggarly

Andrew Baggarly has documented the most eventful era in San Francisco Giants baseball history, having covered the team since 2004 for th​ree major media outlets including the San Jose Mercury News and the Oakland Tribune​. This is his 20th season as a baseball writer.
​Baggarly is the author of the bestselling book, A Band of Misfits: Tales of the 2010 San Francisco Giants, and the newly published Giant Splash: Bondsian Blasts, World Series Parades and Other Thrilling Moments By the Bay. Baggarly’s other notable life accomplishments include running as the Bratwurst in the Milwaukee Sausage Race and becoming a three-time Jeopardy! champion.

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I’m in. I love the fact that a Bay Area guy LOVES the Bay Area and is giving the Giants a fighting chance because of it. Plus, he’s a pitcher that wants to hit. How great is that?

boridge

Go Get Him Sabes. This is a pitchers park and we would have the best rotation in the NL. On most nights 2 runs = a win. Go Get Him.

prima facie

Lincecum, Sabathia and Cain, and pray for rain.

haten

PLEEEASE GET CC !! HIS FAMILY IS IN THE BAY HE WANTS TO BE A GAINT! THEN TRADE SANCHEZE FOR CANTU OR BLALOCK…THEN WE ARE SET ! POSEY IS ON HIS WAY AND THE REST ARE HERE. 1B,BLALOCK/CANTU..2B BURRES..SS EDGAR..3B SONDAVAL..ADD HOLIDAY NEXT YEAR! AT LFT ROWAND AT CNTR AND LEWIS IN RT

BENCH: FRANS,TRAVIS,NATE,BOWKER,..ECT

1.TIMMY
2.CC
3.CAIN
4.LOWRY/THE UNIT
5.ZITO
C.WILSON
HOLY S#!*T!!!!

Rob graf

It makes me want to vomit to hear all of these baseball players getting the money that they get and then turning dowm 26 mil a year. People out there dont have jobs and are loosing their houses and 26 mil is not enough for this looser

SF Mike

Don’t forget about the possibility of RJ, prima.

Sabathia, Lincecum, Johnson, Cain, Zito

Fact Checker

Ridiculous post and completely untrue. CC will not be in San Fran. Plus, to decline the Yankees offer would make no sense from a leverage standpoint.

BigO

Well, even he if ends up going to the Brew-Crew, we get an unbelievable opening day matchup: Tiny Tim v. CC the Behemoth. Just no Dodgers, ok Sabathia?

nostocksjustbonds

signing CC is still not a good idea for the Giants unless they’re willing to seriously raise payroll.

Nick

This is all nonsense. Ken Rosenthal is already reporting that two sources close to the negotiations have stated there is no truth to the rumor that Sabathia has turned down the Yankees offer. Even if Sabathia wants to pitch in the Bay Area (and I don’t doubt that he does), you don’t throw away your top bidder until the ink is drying on your new contract. Telling the Yankees no on their $140 million offer right now is an silly business decision. You string them along until SF, LA or LAA comes as close as they are going to get, then you decline the NY offer.

Bosoxfn

I would be GREAT to get CC in the Giants rotation, but, remember the $$$$$’s given to Zito and look what the result has been!!!

Joseph

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has written that according to two sources close to the negotiations, there’s no truth to the rumor Sabathia has turned down the Yankees. Andrew, you better call your source back and read him the riot act for making you look foolish.

DJ

Ken Rosenthal said their was no truth to this rumor that CC turned down the Yankees. Check with you’re sources Andrew.

Snuffy

From Ken Rosenthal at foxsorts.com/mlb

5:21 p.m. — Sources: No truth to CC rumor
There is no truth to reports that CC Sabathia turned down the Yankees, according to two sources with knowledge of the discussions.

It would make little sense for Sabathia to eliminate his highest bidder. It would also make little sense for the Yankees to pull out of the discussions when Sabathia is their principal free-agent target.

The Yankees remain in the mix for Sabathia, along with the Angels, Giants, Red Sox and possibly the Dodgers.

J-M

You fool. I hope you don’t have a job tomorrow.

Bigdawg

Im betting the Giants will get C.C. They apparently have more cash than they are saying, and it must be from that massive comcast deal they signed last year. Go get em Sabes

Sorry for you’re taking flak for stating something as unconfirmed, Andy. My question for you is do you have any idea what the total $$$ in the Comcast deal was?

SEAN

Hey Andrew,

The guys on XM175 Holden Kushner and Kevin Kennedy are completely hammering om you. Saying that you are irresponsible and shame on you for making this stuff up around Yankees and CC Sabathia. Come on. Now you have some disclaimer to cover your butt. Well at least you got yourself in the headlines. NY Post and Bergan County paper will be hammering on you tomorrow. Don’t ever expect a job for a real paper!

If it isn’t clear yet – and judging by the talk, it isn’t – Neukom has said that payroll will not be as much of a concern as winning is. He has repeatedly said this from his first interview to today. In addition, he has recently stated that he wants the team to go with internal options where possible.

Thus, he’s willing to boost payroll to get, say, a Sabathia, but not a similar sized increase to get Blake, Burrell, and Lowe, for example. So asking for a set payroll budget is a fools errand because it will depend on the circumstances and who, if anyone, is signed. He will not add just to add, but want the guy to be a leveraged difference maker. The signings thus far have fit that pattern.

It sounds like Neukom is willing to take on Sabathia’s salary, but not others, at least according to the rumors in the ether. Obviously, that would make a huge difference in what the final payroll budget ends up as.

The Giants have had a mystery rainy day savings that came to light when they tried to sign Maddux years ago, and they saved extra money in 2008 when the final payroll fell short, plus trading Durham saved money too. The Comcast deal, as noted, also adds additional coin not there before. Thus there is extra money that could buffer the payroll should it go over where we think the max should be.

This is a better way to operate, getting players who are strong difference makers instead of just getting them because you have a spot open. I’ve been saying this since Vlad was on the market, you don’t sign mediocrity, you need to go for the good stuff and make due on everything else.

AndOnTheDrums…

You guys are ungrateful. You want Baggs to post rumors so you can rosterbate all night, and then you want to roast him when Ken Rosenthal (Ken Rosenthal!!??) debunks them. Get a life.

jay destro

wow why would you even consider posting such a bull rumor?

Your conscience

Now even the Giants are refuting your nonsense

hk

i cant believe you posted this garbage, i heard it on xm 175. if he declined the offer, it would be all over the news. Youre a San Francisco hack, you have no credibility.

bseismic

YOU @#$#@$ing IDIOTS!!!

He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed.

bseismic

He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed…

He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed. He said it’s unconfirmed….

Thanks Andy for all the great content, keep it coming. Happy Holidays!

hk

HE SAID IT WAS UNCONFIRMED AFTER IT WAS A NEWS BULLETIN ON THE RADIO!.. HE SAID IT WAS UNCONFIRMED AFTER IT WAS A NEWS BULLETIN ON THE RADIO…………..HE SAID IT WAS UNCONFIRMED AFTER IT WAS A NEWS BULLETIN ON THE RADIO

You’re all j@cka$ses!

Anyone can write UNCONFIRMED and report a story like it was a fact. No credibility except to you phony San Francisco Barry Bonds jock strap lovers!

Cyrus

Look at all the uneducated New Yorkers chiming in. He added the italicized comment because you all didn’t bother to read the sentence. He said “Word is…” and stressed that it was unconfirmed in the very next sentence. Writers shouldn’t have to write for educated people as well as those who flunked Phonics, only for the former.

fpt

Sorry for all the flak your catching on this, Andrew. You write a very insightful blog and it’s a shame that you’re getting such negative exposure from some overanxious fans.

To all the cranky Yankees fans squirming over the possibility of getting turned down by Sabathia: for the record, the original post said that this was an unconfirmed rumor (this was when there were zero comments). Additionally, as we regular readers of this blog understand, this is really more of a forum for Mr. Baggarly to post things that don’t go into his official articles. As such, he has used his blog to document his routine as a reporter as well as any other Giants-related news. Read some of the earlier posts about the winter meetings, and you’ll see that.

When I originally read this, I thought it just sounded like CC was still seriously considering New York, but something specifically about the $140m/6yr offer wasn’t to his liking.

Idaho Nick

Well, Andrew, at least you know you’re being read, which is all a writer can hope for. Too bad most of them can’t actually understand what they read.

SEAN

YOu giants fans are idiots! Why are you protecting this guy? He didn’t say it was unconfirmed until he got the backlash. It was updated later to cover his a$$. He made it up. He made it up. He made it up. He made it up.

The one thing that is confirmed is. The Giants will suck. The Giants will suck. The Giants will suck.

Untrue, Sean. The only part I added is in italics. -AB

Jay

I just have to say this is one of the more exciting offseasons, for good or ill, the Giants have had in quite a while!

Idaho Nick

These people are trolls, Andrew. Anyone who reads your blog regularly read that entry before the italics showed up and knows you didn’t alter it. The others are just trolls. Don’t sweat the bozos!

Scott

Haha this is great . . . I have a feeling Andrew is chuckling at all of these comments. He has a track record that speaks for itself. Interesting how this unconfirmed report blew up like it did. Go Giants . . . sign C.C.!

AndOnTheDrums…

Oh man, am I enjoying these Yankees hacks. They’re like spoiled little children who didn’t get what they wanted for Christmas. I don’t know if you guys have any understanding of the history of the team that you root for, but buying up all the most expensive players on the market hasn’t worked out so well for you. Stick to Page 6, losers.

jay destro

oh CC signed with the yanks. way to go with the story.

Tom

Dewey defeats Truman!

CC Rejects the Yankees!

Find a new source !

Kevin Burns

Nice breaking story bozo. By rejecting the offer you must mean “accept”.

bseismic

Hey Jay Destro… Ever been wrong A@@hole?

I think NYY got played personally… more than us fans here in SF.

But right now, more than ever, the Zito signing has bitten SF in the ass. Might it be that the only reason Sabean is still here is because it wasn’t his desire to sign him in the first place? Might it have been Mr. Peter McGowan? The man who was FIRED recently?

Pssst. Sabathia isn’t Zito. The last time the Yanks dealed this sort of longterm (5+ years) deal to a pitcher, it worked out pretty well (Mussina).

Yikes

Is it too early to start considering this post for the Pulitzer? They are doing an online-only award now, after all. Great reporting, unconfirmed sources always turn out so well.

jay destro

sure i’ve been wrong before, but i mean, i dont work for a newspaper

Tony

Andy: How DARE you post something that could be deemed as a hit to the Yankees and their fans? 😉 ***100% sarcasm***

Personally, I think the fact that the Yankees had to up their already top offer of 6/140 to 7/160 speaks VOLUMES that CC simply did NOT want to pitch there and in the REAL world how much better are you going to live on 120, 130, 140, 150, 160 versus say 100 Mil? The Yankees bid against themselves on this one since no way the Brewers or Giants would offer anywhere NEAR that amount.

Yes, the Angels and Dodgers lurked but I don’t think either of them was going to top the 6/140 in these economic downtimes.

In the end, it will be interesting to see how well the Yankee fans handle the fact that they are paying a guy 7/160 and they realize he doesn’t walk on water. It will be equally interesting to see how CC handles the fact that he could win 20 games, cough up a hairball in game 1 of the playoffs and get beat and the fans will let him have it and will remember the ONE loss, not the 20 wins.

This is going to sound kind hard to believe because it’s hard to imagine feeling sorry for a guy who is about to sign a 160Mil deal BUT here goes anyway. I got the feeling during all this that CC TRULY wanted to pitch in the NL and stay close to home for his family. IF I am correct in that assumption and it really wasn’t about the $, my gut tells me he will on more than one occasion regret ever having gone to NY. I don’t think he can ever win in this one.

Imagine the day he gives up 5-6 and Hank comes out of his shoes to the press about how they’re paying this guy so much $ and he’s out there getting lit up. Imagine he has a bad week or a bad month or a bad year….It’s a different world out there and not even 160Mil can buy you a shield from that garbage.

You can laugh all the way to the bank initially but you might have just bought yourself a ticket into 7 years of hell along the way as well.

Kevin Burns

Yea, I am a huge Yanks fan, but news flash not everyone is as excited about CC as you think. Am I happy to have him? Yes. Do I think hes the savior? No.

The fact was Baggs was dead wrong on this report (I understand it was an unconfirmed rumor, but why post it? Thats irresponsible, like me posting an unconfirmed rumor that Zito is a homosexual who cant pitch, oh wait) and he is right to get hammered on it.

As far as everyone making fun of the obnoxious Yankee fans, I find that amusing. Yes, there are plenty of moron Yankee fans and noone despises them more then I do. Yet, your fanchise fan base sold its soul to the devil Bonds so you are really in no position to talk.

Tony

Kevin- Don’t assume that all Giants fans were necessarily Bonds fans. I don’t think anyone thinks all Yankee fans are obnoxious, at least I don’t. I know many Yankee fans out here in CA that are far from obnoxious.

I think where a LOT of the issues people have with the Yankees start is with the Steinbrenner attitude of just throw more $ at them and get them BECAUSE WE CAN. It hurts the overall game, just MY opinion, not necessarily right/wrong.

Would I/others feel different if it was OUR owner doing that? If we’re honest, I’m sure we would because we would simply justify it as trying to win.

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